Verdia · Library
How can similar-looking plants be kept separate in a care log?
Use persistent identifiers to keep observations from similar-looking plants separate.
A name may not identify one individual
Two plants can share a common name or a genus label. Give each individual a persistent identifier before recording care or observations, and keep that identifier with its photographs and location history. A location alone can become ambiguous when pots are moved.
The identifier is an organizational aid, not an identification result. It does not establish a species or determine care needs. Keep the actual name and its uncertainty in separate fields so that a later correction does not merge the histories of two different plants.
A simple two-plant example
- Use Plant A and Plant B even if both entered names are the same.
- Record each pot’s location and photographs under its own identifier.
- When one moves or its name is corrected, retain the existing identifier and update the relevant record.